School Lunches..what a mess.

I am glad that this school lunch issue is getting folks riled up. They need to be. They need to be PISSED OFF at the state our education system. A friend of mine made the comment, “While I am sure this will be an unpopular opinion, I think the quality of lunches is the tip of the iceberg. If the system really cares so little about something as basic as food how can they be trusted with something complex like learning. Our public schools are failing our youth.” There is no better way to say it. The lack of concern by educational authorities for what they are feeding students is indicative of the way the whole system is run. A well balanced meal includes fruits, vegetables, starches, grain, and dairy. To me the dairy is questionable, as cow milk is not made for human bodies, just as human milk isn’t made for cow bodies, but I digress. A lean protein, a GREEN veggie, a starch or grain, and water is great! Quality produce. FRESH food, not canned or boxed. NO PROCESSED FOODS. There are children who only get the one meal a day they get at school. That is all they get. Do you understand that? I know that many folks have said, “You can’t rely on the school to nourish your kids! Feed them at home and who cares about the school food??” How very short sighted and discompassionate. I would hazard a guess that you are unaware that the latest trend is schools prohibiting students from bringing their own lunches and REQUIRING them to eat the school provided lunch. The fact is I send lunch from home with my daughter more often than not. I AM nourishing my child properly. I am not fighting this solely for my child. I am angry for ALL children who are being used as pawns in between parents and schools, schools and school boards and school boards and governments. I am angry because we claim to be a compassionate, giving society and yet we fail our children everyday. We are one of the most industrialized nations in the world. We set a gold standard..or so we like to say we do.

In 2010 and 2011, Louisiana was in the Top 5 of the nation’s “Fattest States” rankings. According to americashealthratings.org, we are #49 in the nation for health. That means we are one spot away from being the unhealthiest state in the nation. Mississippi has taken spot #50 for several years now as well. We have the highest rate of death from diabetes in the country. It all begins one place. The table. The plate. The pot. It begins with what we eat. How we choose to nourish our bodies.

One of the commenters said, “I ate school lunch and I grew up just fine.” What is “just fine” How do your arteries look? Have you ever been on medication for ADD of ADHD? Are you over weight or diabetic? I would like to know if your doctor thinks you are “just fine”. You eat junk when you don’t know any better. When you know better you are supposed to do better. That is why we educate ourselves. Even animals learn from their mistakes. As far as the people that said, “I ate that- why shouldn’t my kids? “ As parents it is our responsibility to provide our children with the best we can provide them with. It’s a natural imperative to want BETTER for your children than you had for yourself. Any parent who doesn’t strive for a better life for their kids isn’t a very good parent, in my opinion.

What I really don’t get is why people are angry at me for posting these pictures. There are several people who are acting like I have stolen their man or something equally as heinous. Umm..I am only posting pictures of the crappy food your tax dollars pay for. If you aren’t moved by it then don’t worry about it. No need to jump me over it. Just move on. My job is to get people talking. This is doing that. More than any topic I have ever seen. Obviously I am not the only parent who feels that this is a problem. And to the people who say that it’s no less healthy that what they feed their kids at home- Shame on you for feeding you kid crappy food at home as well. I don’t do that. We eat some crap at our house- by no means am I nutritionally do perfect- but I not buy processed foods for my family to eat. We eat meat (try to get it locally when possible), fresh or flash frozen veggies, fresh fruit, live yogurt, butter (not margarine), lots of water, 100% juices ( I always read the label), and few starches. I don’t do rice or white potatoes. We do sweet potatoes and corn. We eat whole wheat breads, or rye, pumpernickel, or multigrain. We also eat cheese puffs. My daughter’s favorite foods are brussels sprouts, bell peppers, broccoli, artichokes, yogurt, etc…She also eats Lik-M-Aid. It’s not about being perfect, it is about being better.

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